English Language Teaching; Vol. 8, No. 3; 2015 ISSN 1916-4742 E-ISSN 1916-4750 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Problematic Approach to English Learning and Teaching: A Case in Indonesia Himpun Panggabean1 1 Universitas Methodist Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia Correspondence: Himpun Panggabean, Universitas Methodist Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia. E-mail: [email protected] Received: October 29, 2014 Accepted: November 30, 2014 Online Published: February 13, 2015 doi:10.5539/elt.v8n3p35 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n3p35 Abstract This article deals with problematic approach to English learning and teaching due to misleading conception on the nature of English and on the process of acquiring it as well as the clues to the issues. The clues are: Firstly, English is not more difficult than any other languages, including Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia (Note 1). Secondly, there are two approaches that need considering in English instruction, grammar free and strict grammar approaches. The former is highly recommended for early age instruction and beginners whereas the latter is recommended for instruction for specific purposes. However the two approaches should collaborate and their applications should be based on needs analysis. Thirdly, Conflicting conception on whether L1 and L2 are the same processes should not deter the strategy of how language is acquired naturally. When proper conception on the nature of English is attained and it is approached properly, English subject is not burdensome and needs not be eliminated from Primary School curriculum, and there is no need to reduce time allotment for the subject in Senior High School as stipulated in Indonesian English curriculum amendment. Keywords: acquisition process, context-based and strict grammar approaches, misleading conception, nature of English, psychological burden, purposes 1. Introduction That English as a global lingua franca is increasingly important and even compulsory in all nations throughout the world in order for them to be able to communicate effectively one to each other has prompted the awareness that English must be learned and taught in and outside schools. In Indonesia where I am based, for instance, learning and teaching English is conducted extensively in formal schools beginning from early education to university levels. The fact can be seen in that English is one of a few subjects on which emphasis is given. The strategy suggests that English as a global language is a second language in Indonesia that hopefully will lead to official use of it as a medium of communication in such domains as government and education. Unfortunately, the hope vanishes following the amendment of 2013 Indonesian English curriculum coming into effect in 2014, in which English subject in Primary School is eliminated and in Senior High School, time allotment for the subject is reduced. The amendment is deemed a serious setback. The reasons why the new curriculum is implemented are not explicitly stated by the government but according to High School English instructors I teach in a teaching training major at postgraduate program, the reasons are English subject is too hard for Primary School pupils and English subject in Senior High School hampers the students’ achievement in Bahasa Indonesia as national language. Such reasons are undoubtedly misleading. It is the wrong conception on the nature of English and how it is taught and learned that makes English subject too hard and there is no link between learning English too much and poor achievement in another language, Bahasa Indonesia. Due to the misleading conception, the way English is learned and taught bears burden. Despite that since 1980’s grammar-based approach has changed into functional use approach in Indonesian English curriculum, the instructors still teach English with grammar-based approach as well as with pronunciation and intonation they deem correct despite that they do not know exactly the correct ones. Consequently, the instructors fail to create fascinating atmosphere of learning and teaching. Because of it, many learners find it burdensome to learn English. In formal schools, many learners think that English is the most difficult subject, even more difficult than 35 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 3; 2015 mathematics, physics, economics, etc. In the absence of clue to the issue, complaints on how English is learned and taught as well as the large amount of time allotted for English subject emerged and mounted up. The idea that English is the most difficult language of all languages and very much different from Bahasa Indonesia bringing about conflicting conception on which of grammar free or strict grammar approaches is better in learning and teaching English may also be blamed for why many English learners find English instruction burdensome. Indeed, the approach of learning and teaching English may be either one of them or both of them, being dependent on what objectives to pursue. There are two types of English instruction, namely General English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instructions (I don’t refer to formal definitions of the two terms rather I use my view that fits the idea of this article). If the learners know the objective of the instruction, they won’t find English learning burdensome. According to (Hutchinson et al., 1992, p. 6), the fact that learners know specifically why they are learning a language is a great advantage for teaching and learning process. With this in mind, both instructors and learners should know the objective of instruction before commencing the process of teaching and learning. 2. The Nature of English English is specific for Indonesian people because it is not their language. It is true that English is very different from Bahasa Indonesia in terms of phonology, morphology, and syntax. In the level of pronunciation and orthography, for instance, English speech sounds do not have conformity with graphic signs, unlike Bahasa Indonesia and its sister languages in Austronesian language family. However English is not more difficult than Bahasa Indonesia and vice versa nor is English the most difficult language of all languages. All human languages, including English can be acquired by all normal individuals. Concerning the fact that there is no language appears to be more difficult to learn and all human beings have capacity to acquire any language, (Jacobs et al., 1968, p. 28) suggest: Normal infants are born fully equipped to learn any human language spoken anywhere in the world, and all normal children go through more or less the same stages of learning languages, with no language appearing to be more difficult to learn than any other. Related to the theory is what (Finnegan et al., 1989, p. 15) state: It is important to recognize that any child who is capable of acquiring some particular human language is capable of acquiring any human language. All children except those with mental or physical impairments acquire their native language in childhood, whatever their culture and whatever their level of intelligence. The ability to acquire language is a fundamental human trait. It can be inferred that there are no geographical, cultural, and biological boundaries in learning any language in the world. The instructors and learners must realize this and the fact that all normal people, inclusive of them, are born fully equipped to learn and use any human language including English. Why Indonesian learners find it difficult and take a very long time to acquire English is because they don’t make using the language a habit. In fact language competence is attained from habit formation. According to (Panggabean, 2007, p. 160), a native speaker acquires his language because he keeps learning by thinking, listening, and speaking in the language he is learning, meaning he learns the language continuously. Indonesian speaking learners of English indeed spend very little time using and thinking in English. They are dependent on classroom learning activities that may occur, say twice a week, each of which lasts for one hour. In the classroom, their instructors teaching in traditional method may not involve them profoundly. This means that the actual time spent in one week is less than two hours. Regardless of how many years they have been learning English in this circumstance, the fact is they learn it in weeks instead of years. In language acquisition process, learning in weeks results in very little achievement. An infant, for instance, begins to shift his babbling production of speech-like sounds to true speech production when he is eight to ten months though he has heard and responsive to adult speech sounds long before it. Only after is he four or five years, when he conducts reinforcement, imitation, and expansion, his utterances are nearly like those of adults (Foss et al., 1978, pp. 234-266). 3. The Objectives of Instruction and Grammar 3.1 English for General Purposes and Grammar As stated previously, whether English has to be taught with grammar free or strict grammar approaches depends on what the objective of the instruction is. If the objective is to enable the learners to communicate verbally for 36 www.ccsenet.org/elt English Language Teaching Vol. 8, No. 3; 2015 daily and general objectives (General English), grammar free approach is applicable. People who do not learn English in formal instruction where listening/speaking, grammar, reading, and writing are approached proportionately have ability to communicate though they do not learn grammar strictly. In the countries where English is used as a second language such as Malaysia and Singapore, people can communicate in English though they learn the language without learning grammar. Unlike Indonesian people learning English in formal instruction using strict grammar approach, they learn the language just the way they learn their mother tongues. In order for Indonesian people to be able to communicate in English like Malaysians and Singaporeans, they should learn English just the way Malaysians and Singaporeans do.